Solar Panels UK

Solar Panels in the UK

A solar panel or photovoltaic panel is a product that changes the natural energy from the sun into usable electricity; this is called a photovoltaic effect.

In the UK solar panels have a variety of uses. Many solar panels in the UK are designed to power small appliances, a common example being a calculator.

Solar Panels UK generate a form of environmentally friendly electricity, green electricity. Solar panels are very useful in places in the UK where it is difficult to get power from the electricity grid.

The term solar energy is used to describe a form of collecting the suns electro-magnetic radiation. In the UK solar panels can harness the emissions from the sun. The solar panels can then subsequently convert the suns radiation into green energy. For example; heat and electricity.

The earth is spherical and our planets sum hit the surface at varying angles from 0º to 90º. The UK has a position on the Earth which means the angle of the light waves hit at about 60º. This means the UK is close enough to the equator to enable solar panels of average size to collect enough energy to power a 3 bedroom sized house.

In the UK, the Earth is nearer the sun in summer and further away in winter.

This is because the UK lies in the central latitudes meaning it will acquire more solar energy in the summer. This is dues to longer days and a greater angle that the suns light radiation will hit the UK. The UK winter will not be as effective for collecting solar energy due to the fact the days are very short and the angle of the sun and the UK are much less than in summer. Therefore, solar panels in the UK will work better in the summer than in the winter.

For similar reasons to those above, due to the earth’s rotation on its axis, solar panels in the UK will be working best during the midday sun than sunrise or sunset. This is a gain due to the positioning of the sun in the sky and the angle its rays make with the solar panels.

Everyone agrees that solar panels are a fantastic idea to help produce clean, green and renewable electricity in the UK.

In the UK you can get two main types of solar panels. Ones that generate electricity, and also ones that generate heat. A green idea is to use the two types of panels both heating and electric to power our homes. In the future the UK will see an increase in the number of solar panels. The solar panels will also become more and more efficient. It may be a while however before solar power can provide the energy requirements needed by UK factories.